176-10037-10494) | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
. . AGENCY : NARA
RECORD NUMBER : 176-10037-10494
RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ,
ORIGINATOR : CIA
FROM :
TO:
TITLE : Information Report Re: Strategic Hamlets
DATE : 2/20/1962 , .
PAGES : 5
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS : NSF: Countries: Vietnam, General, 2/62, Box 195. Box 8.

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This materlal “contalns - inforrnation cttecting tho : Naitenal | ‘Detome ‘of .the United States within. the meaning of the Espionage Lows, Title 18, pic Seca. us
I. . 793 and. 794, the frensmision ow = of. which: ls ony: manner ta- an: unauthorized -person:is prohibited be lai | Rilo J G: .

ZOUNTRY = ry VIET Ee — Sn 2, :REPORTNO. . TOCS -3/502,553

UBJECT - | BERATEGIC HAMLETS ae wo pate Distr. 20 FEBRUARY 1962 aa r
te Se ~ PRECEDENCE ROUTINE a AL e.
DATEOR . MID-FEBRUARY 1962 ee TELD NO. FVS-7075 -IN 3 ii

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PLACER. VIETNAM, SAIGON (14. FEBRUARY 1962) - PETA OR @ DES OY
DATEACQ. =I rr Is PROBABLY RUB THAT NEU'S VIEWS ARE AS EXPRESSED, AND THAT LUONG
APPRAISAL : —

_ THIS 1S UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL C OF CONTENT is TENTATIVE.

SOURCE - eT aon OP) EE PRS. 1-3 FROM NGO DIN NEU, AND PARA. 4 FROM
: : BUI VAN LUONG. =

oo 1... NGO DINE wav, PROTHER An POLITICAL "ADVISOR OF PRESIDENT NGO DINE ‘DIEM,
‘STATED ON ab FEBRUARY 1962 THAT THE STRATEGIC BALERS “PROGRAM WOULD. BE. MORE |
""SRAN A MEIKOD OF AFFORDING DEFENSE FOR ‘THE POPULATION. OF VIETNAM; It WOULD, BE A

“ne ‘STRATEGY FR TE TEVELOPMET oF VIETNAM. “HE STATED THAT A COMMON COMPLAINT

“Sa Voom WAS Tit wNERESS OF 70S CADRES, WHO FALLED TO TURN TH GOVERIWEND'sS

: * REVOLOTETONARY, PROGRAK To RRALITY. HE STATED, HOWEVER, ‘THAT THE COMPLAINT wis
o “ont PARMEALLY RUE, AS, THE OTHER ASPECT. HAD EEN THE INABILITY OF THE CADRE 10
oe “OPERATE IN THE CONDITION OF INSECURITY IN JHE COUNTRYSIDE. IT WAS NECESSARY

© pone cosine Yo 60 CROAT TH SUHCASICN THAT TEE CADRE COULD HE PLACED

it AREA OF HIS. WORK AND, AFFORHED THE: NECESSARY PROTECTION AND FACILITIES -

ren si vor, _ THE ‘STRATEGIC HAMLETS" PROGRAM WOULD! PROVIIE BOTH OF THESE. _

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com THE PROGRAM AS-PLAIOIED BY NEU ‘HAD THREE MAIN. ELEMENTS WHICH WOULD MAKE

TP. PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE FOR. yoRmin. ;
ran IT was ‘FIRST OF ALL TRADITIONAL, , RESTING UPON THE BASIC UNIT OF

: _VIBTNAMESE SOCIETY. US IT CAPITALIZED UPON THE INGRAINED HABITS OF THR”
a “POPULATION... oe, ee .
Be THE SECOND ASPECT WAS THAT IT WOULD AFFORD THE MEANS TO MODERNIZE
: _ VIETNAMESE ‘IFS. BU STATED THAT I? WAS. LESS: A PROBLEM OF RAISING THE STANDARD
- OF LIVING THAN OF CHANGING THE MOTE OF LIVING. HS SAID THAT IF ATTENTION WAS.
" GIVEN TO INSERTING NEW MOIES OF LIFE INTO THE ORDINARY PEASANTS EXISTENCE, iT

- WOULD INEVITABLY BRING SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES IN HIS ORIENTATION - NHU COMPARED

- 3B RESULT OF TEE ‘INEBRTTON oF SMALL AUTOMOBILES, WASHING MACHINES, BIC. “Into

* “LIFE. OF THE EUROPEAN WORKING CLASS WHICH HE CLAIMED HAD DISRUPTED COMMUNIST *

; "INFLUBNCE OVER THIS CLASS. AS A RESULT, NEY SAID, MOST EUROPEAN COMMUNIST

~"“PARTTES OPPOSED MODERNIZATION. HE STATED THAT THE ASIAN COMMUNIST PARTIES

| - WERE LESS INTELLIGENT aN TER APPROACH, "AS THEY ADVOCATED. .MODERNIZATION OF
“ASIAN LIFE, WITHOUT ‘REALIZING “THAT “TT WOULD INEVITABLY REDUCE THEIR OWN ORGAN-
“TZATTONAL,. POWER.. “Na ‘onAteD THAT A STUDY OF STEPS APPROPRLATE POR VIETNAM Aton
_ as Lae. SHOULD HE-MADE“AND A CONSCIOUS EFFORT ‘TEVOTED 10 INSERTING THESE ‘NEW
“yous. OF LIFE INTO VIETNAM. - AS. AN “EXAMPLE ? “HE CITED ‘THE’ ‘EFFECT: OF DISTRIBUTING .
" BICYCLES WITH MacRoKoroRS, THUS MAKING ‘THE PEASANT MOBILE AND CHANGING HIS MODE
OF LE. = STRATEGIC. mut, iB REITERATED, ‘WOULD: AFFORD "THE NECESSARY
_-FROTBGHLON sip gociiaae BASE PR. BUCH A MODERNIZATION PROGHAM. a

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Ce TE ‘TED ELEMENT, NEU SAID, WOULD 2B DEMOCRATIZATION.

| XEFINED YAS HE APPLICAOTON. OF AF AID ORDER O RURAL LIFE. HE STATED ‘THAT
, (At PRESEN? THE PEASANTS WERE EXPOSED. 0 ILLEGALITY BY ‘THE VIBINAMESE: COMMUNISTS

. AND BY GOVERNMENT OF ‘VOBINAM (cv) ‘ELEMENTS, BOTH MILITARY AND CIVIL. THIS WAS
os IN PART A RESULT. OF TE DISPERSION OF THE POPULATION AND ITS INABILITY TO ASSUME :

"SERS OWN GOVERNANCE - AS AN INDUCEMENT TO FORM A STRATEGIC HAMLET, NHU SAID THE

| POPULATION. SHOULD BE ASSURED EKO THE MANGE NOULD SE GUARAED THE FULL

ae APPLICATION OF LAW BY TIS OWN AUTHORITIES, THUS MOVING IT TOWARD A SYSTEM OF

“DEMOCRATIZATION APPROPRIATE TO THE COMMUNITY. HOWEVER, If WOULD HAVE LITTLE OR ,
_ ‘NOTHING 10 Do WITH CHANGES OF THE GOVERNMENT IN SAIGON. NEU STATED: THAT HE HAD
: . BROUGH our IN A RECENT TALK TO GVN OFFICIALS THAT ONE COULD CHANGE THE.

GOVERNMENT. IN SAIGON 35 TIMES WITH NO EFFECT UPON THE REAL SITUATION IN THE

aa * COUNTRYSIIE; BUT SHAT ‘THE APPLICATION OF THE STRATEGIC HAMLETS' SYSTEM WOULD —

/_ DSFINITELY AFFECT ‘THE DEMOCRATIZATION ‘OF THE COUNTRYSIDE IN A WAY WHICH TOUCHED

= THE POPULATION ITSELF. THE STRATEGIC. EAMLED WOULD ALSO, ACCORDING TO NHU, _ AFFORD. .

wt BASIS "FOR ‘THE BUILDING or INGTTTUTIONS In VISTNAM TO GIVE ADDITIONAL STABILITY,

aoe Gey COOPERATIVES, | MEDICAL SERVICES, EDUCATION, ‘WOMENS' MOVEMENTS, YOUTH:

a te 3. NaU STATED THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED THE STRATEGIC HAMLETS' CONCEPTS" WITH

- at GROUP OF GOVERMENT OFFICIALS RECENTLY, ‘AND HAD MADE ONE VERY STRONG ADDITIONAL

‘POINT TO ‘THEM, , (ramp COMMEND. -¥VS- 7034, TDCs- 3/501,110 GAVE AN: ACCOUNT, FROM

. = Pm ata ome, oP ME'S RBURES AD OHE YESTTNG. ) HE STATED THAT HE

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ce WAS AWARE THAT ‘THERE WAS MUCH, DISCONTENT ANONG THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF THE
. Govenmanr, warce, HE SAID, STEMMED FROM THE COVERNMENT'S APPROACH ‘70 ‘THE JOB. |
aw LOCAL OFFICIAL WHO FACED ‘A PROBLEM MADE A REQUEST 10 HIS NEXT HIGHER “AU-
a _“THORITY FOR ASSISTANCE AND WAS DISCONTENTED IF THE ASSISTANGE WAS INADEQUATE.
|” SHE NEXT LEVEL REQUESTED ‘THE CHIEF OF PROVINCE, HO REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM |
a THE > MINISTRY, . ‘AND HAD THE SAME REACTION. ‘THE MINISTER MADE THE REQUEST OF TH
"PRESIDENT AND WAS DISCONTENTED At INADEQUATE SUPPORT. THEORETICALLY, aE -
| _ PRESIDENT ‘SHOULD MAKE. REQUESTS OF THE AMERICANS AND BE ‘DISCONTENTED WITH THE |
‘AMERICANS FOR LACK OF ADEQUATE SUPPORT. NEU STATED THAT THE ENTIRE PROCESS WAS
oe INFANTILE, AND A CHILDISH WAY OF DEPENDENCE ‘UPON A SUPERIOR TO SOLVE ONE'S
PROBLEMS. HE STATED-TRAT IT WAS NECESSARY [0 IEVELOP A MATURITY IN THE .
yee PEOPLE SO ‘THAT HEY WOULD TAKS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOLVING THEIR
om PROBLEMS, UTILIZING SUCH ASSISTANCE AS WAS GIVEN ‘THEM, BUT Nor ATTEMPTING

Riven SHIFT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE ‘PROBLEM. HE STATED THAT THE
7 ‘STRATEGIC ‘HAMLET WAS THE way TO INTRODUCE ‘THE PROCESS OF BEGINNING MATURITY,
86 HE "TETNAMESE ‘PROPLE AND THE GOVERNMENT. "NEU SAID’ ‘THAT THE OFFICIALS WERE.

~~ MUCH ‘AMUSED At THE TESCRIFITON oF ‘THE DISCONTENT AND FOUND MUCH VALIDITY. IN HIS

; STATEMENT OF HOW 70 ‘OVERCOME IT. i SAID, HOWEVER, THAT IT WAS: NECESSARY TO |

“KEEP ‘REFEATING THE 1ESSON, AS OTH WISE THE OLD HABITS OF DEPENDENCE UPON
o POWERS "ABOVE. woul RETURN AND aE WHOLE VICIOUS cxclE: OF DISCONTENT WOULD START _

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Ce O-NP ADELA me HOR /CORELHUED CONTROL Toes -3/502, 553

ky iENISTER. oF. INTERIOR BUL VAN | Bo0NG, IN A SEPARATE CONVERSATION on 13
~ HEBRUARY, STATED THAT NHU. HAD argu ‘TNSTRUCTIONS ‘THAT THE STRATEGIC HAMLETS" :
“PROGRAM BE CONDUCIED UNTER THE FULL COMIROL OF THE NEW. INTERMINISTERZAL ,

“‘eamisston. HE ‘saTD ‘THAT NEU HAD SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID
NO? WISH A"REFETITION OF THE ERRORS MADE IN THE INITLATION OF THE AGROVILLE
. “PROGRAM. NEU EMPHASIZED D THE NECESSITY OF EXPLAINING TO THE POPULATION WHAT
| TT WAS BEING ASKED 70 DO AND OF FOLLOWING VERY STRICT RULES, “FOR INSTANCE, _—
ag THE POPULATION BE ASKED TO ASSIST ONLY IN ITS OWN LOCALITY AND NOT BE
* REQUIRED TO WORK ON DISTANT AREAS. “HE ALSO STATED THAT THE PROVINCE CHIEFS
WER INSTRUCTED NOT TO LAUNCH OFF IN: ALL ‘DIRECTIONS, CREATING STRATEGIC HAMLETS
LS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN IDEAS, BUT 0 FOLLOW THE FROGRAM AND PATTERN 10 BE
‘ESTABLISHED, BY THE STRATEGIC HAMLETS ' COMMITTEE. |
5s FIBLD DISSEA: STATE “ARMY NAVY AIR MAAG AID .CINCPAC PACFLT .

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END OF MESSAGE -

. CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS

©. QeQ-NGRsIpD-B-NAT-I-A-L 0 _ _NOFORN/CONEINUED CONTROL


